Is it OK to do the crossword in the newspaper for cafe customers? | Notes and queries

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts When in a cafe and reading a newspaper provided for customers, is it acceptable to do the crossword on the grounds that it is better for one person to get to do it than for nobody? What about if the newspaper is in a library? Rebecca Linton, LeicesterRead more ...

Could humans have survived in the company of the dinosaurs? | Notes and queries

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts New research suggests that if the asteroid that helped to wipe out the dinosaur population had hit an area of sea, the chances are that a large number of dinosaurs would have survived. Massive tidal waves would have swept large swathes of the land mass, maybe as far inland as 400-500 miles. But those living inland beyond that would probably have survived for tens of millions of years after. We still have some of their ancestors on the...Read more ...